The present invention is related to a folding machine and more particularly to a web product folding and stacking machine, which is practical for making a stack of interfolded web products.
Please refer to FIG. 1. A conventional web product folding and stacking machine 10 is shown comprising two folding line making rolls 11, two folding fingers 13, a first carrier unit 15, a stoppage unit 17 and a holder 19. The two folding line making rolls 11 are rotatable in reversed directions to cause each fed web product 12 to form a folding line. The folding fingers 13 are adapted to stack up folded web product s 12 on the first carrier unit 15.
If the stacked web products 12 surpasses a predetermined quantity, the stacked web product 12 will be deformed during contact between the folding fingers 13 and the newly fed web product 12, thereby extending the contact time between the folding fingers 13 and the newly fed web product 12, for example, the stacked web product 12 will sink due to the effect of the folding fingers 13. However, if only a limited number of web products 12 has been stacked on the first carrier unit 15, for example, during the initial stage of the stacking operation of the folding fingers 13 to stack up web products 12 on the first carrier unit 15, the contact time between the folding fingers 13 and the newly fed web product 12 will be short, due to the non-deformable characteristic of the first carrier unit 15, resulting in poor alignment of the stacked web product 12 on the first carrier unit 15.
The stoppage unit 17 is adapted to isolate a finished stack of interfolded web products 12. For example, when a predetermined number of web products 12 are interfolded into a stack, the stoppage unit 17 extends out to stop at the top side of the stack of interfolded web products 12. After extension of the stoppage unit 17 to deliver the finished stack of interfolded web products 12 with the holder 19, one web product 121 will suspend from the first carrier unit 15. When the holder 19 holds a stack of interfolded web products 12 from the first carrier unit 15, the holder 19 will push the suspending web product 121, causing the suspending web product 121 unable to be rested on the holder 19 accurately in position, resulting in unkempt stack of interfolded web products 12.